Weft-detecting mechanism.



A. COMPAGNON.

WEFT DETECTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23,1911.

1,291,415. Patented Jan. 14; 1919.

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A. COMPAGNON.

W EFT DETECTING MECHANISM. v.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1911.

11,291,415. Patented Jan.14,1919.

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ALEXANDRE COMPAGN ON, OF SACO, MAINE, ASSIGNOR 'IO CROMPTON & KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

WEFT-DETECTING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

Application filed July 23, 1917. Serial No. 182,133.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDRE COMPA- GNON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Saco, in the county of York and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful \Veft- Detecting Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to a weft detecting mechanism of thetype in which a continuously reciprocating actuator is rendered operable by obstruction of its normal path of movement upon substantial exhaustion of weft on the active weft carrier.

In this type of weft detecting mechanism as heretofore made, the controlling Or obstructing device is normally maintained in position to render the actuator operative, but is withdrawn from such position by engagement of the weft detector with an unexhausted weft carrier.

It is the general object of my present invention to provide Weft detecting mechanism of this general type in which the controlling or obstructing device is normally in inoperative position, and in which said device is permitted to move to operative position only upon substantial exhaustion of the active weft carrier.

To the accomplishment of this object, my invention in the preferred form comprises a stand, a slide having thereon fixed and pivoted detectors, a stop for said slide engaging said pivoted detector, a rod movably supported in said slide and also engaging said pivoted detector, and springs 'acting to force said rod and said slide rearwardly.

Upon engagement of said detectors with a substantially exhausted weft carrier the piv oted detector is swung upon its pivot on said slide, and is also swung about its point of engagement with said fixed stop, thereby permitting said rodto move rearwardly under the influence of itsspring, and thus rendering the actuator and transferring mechanism operative.

My invention further relates to certain arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of my? invention is shown in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved weft detecting mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the part shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation taken sulstantially along the line 33 in Fig. 1, an

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are partial plan views of the mechanism with certain parts removed and showing the remaining parts in different operative positions.

Referring to the drawings I have shown my improved Weft detecting mechanism as mounted upon a frame 10 and as associated.

responding to the link 28 in said patent and v normally providing a yielding support about which the actuator 11 is swung by the member 11.

At the other end the actuator 11 is normally freely movable within a vertical slot 12 formed in a lug or projection 13 fixed to the frame 10. A rod 14 is slidable transversely of said slot 12, the front end of said rod being pivoted to an arm 15 secured to a short horizontal shaft 16 supported in bearings on the frame 10. A spring 17 encircles the shaft 16, one end of said spring being fixed to a collar 18 on said shaft and the opposite end of the spring being secured to one of the fixed bearings of the'shaft. This spring normally tends to force the rod 14 rearwardly into the. path of movement of the actuator 11. A second arm 19 (Fig. 2) is secured to the shaft 16 and is engaged and positioned by the weft detecting device which will now be described.

A stand 20 is fixed to the frame 10 and a slide 21 is mounted for longitudinal movement therein, the slide being held in operative position by a cap 22. At its rearward end the slide 21 supports a fixed detector or weft engaging member 23 and also a movable detector 24 pivoted at 25 to the slide 21.

The detector 24 projects rearwardly to a ninety degrees and the extreme point of the rod is again bent ninety degrees so that it extends directly forward and engages the rear side of the arm 24 of the detector 24 at a point between the pivot 25 and the point of engagement of said arm with the rod 26.

Such engagement by the stop rod 27 holds the movable detector 24 in close engagement with the fixed detector-23 and also in'contact with the rear end of the rod 26. The stop rod 27 also provides a pivot for the detector 24 under certain conditions,.as will be hereinafter described. Afurther important advantage arises from the use of this stop rod in that this construction permits me to omit the pivoted connections at each end of the 'rod 26 as required in such mechanism as pre-' viously constructed. These pivoted connections have been found to be subject to' excessive wear and their omission is extremely desirable. 1 v

A bracket 30 (Fig. 3) is secured to the upper side of the slide 21 and is engaged upon one face by a coil spring 31 mounte the cap 22. An adjusting rod 32 extends thrpugh the ends of the cap 22 and also looselythrough the bracket 30 and supports the spring 31 in operative position with the forward end of the spring 31 engaging the inner face of the cap 22. At its rear end the rod 32 is threaded 'intothe cap and is also provided with a shoulder 33 adaptedto enviously described.

gage the bracket 30 and thus limitthe rearward movement of the slide 21, thereby permitting 'accurate adjustment of the weft detecting mechanism. The spring-31 is of greater strength than the spring 17 pre- 4 I will now describe the operation of my improved detecting mechanism. In Fig. 5 I have shown the parts in their normal position when about to engage a weft carrier, the

position of the parts in this figure corresponding to the position of the same parts in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, with the rod 14 withdrawn out of the path of movement of the actua-.

tor 11. c f I In Fig. 4; I have shown the operation of the device when engaged by an unexhausted weft carrier. The toothed end of the detector 24, when engaged by weft upon the weft'carrier, prevents swinging movement of the detector 24 relatively to' the slide 21 and detector 23. The parts 21, 23 and 24 are accordingly moved rearwardly together,

teeters the loom and still farther withdrawing the rod 14 from the path of the actuator 11, the position of the parts after such engagement being clearly shown in said Fig. 4. K

If the'weft upon the portion of the weft carrier engaged by the detector 24 becomes exhausted the detector 24 is no longer held from movement about its pivot 25 upon engagement of the fixed detector 23 with'the weft carrier. Such engagement causes'the slide 21 to move forwardly with the weft carrier as before, thus tending to carry the arm 24 of the detector 24 away from the stop rod 27. The spring 17 (Fig. 1) is at the same time exerting pressure upon the rod 26 tending to move the same-rearwardly against the arm 24. As the pivot 25 of the detector 24 'moves forwardly with the slide 21 the stop rod 27 practically forms a sup; plementary pivot for the detector permitting the outer end of the arm 24 to move rearwardly. as the pivot 25 moves forwardly. Such rearward movement permits the rod 26 and arm 19 to move momentarily rearwardly, causing corresponding rearward movement of the rod 14 into the path of the i 26, and thus actuator 11, which latter movement is sufiicient to render the actuator operative. After such movement the position of the parts is as shown in Fig. 6.

It will thus appear that I have provided I a weft detecting mechanism in which the path of the actuator is normally unobstructed and continues unobstructed until the detectors engage a substantially exhausted weft carrier, at which time the path of the actuator is obstructed and the actuator is thereby rendered operative. Certain features ofmy invention are, however, of

more general utilityand are not limited in their application to detecting mechanism in which the-actuator is normally unobstructed.- In particular, the rod 26 and stop 27;may

substituted with advantage wherever a pivotally connected construction has been here tofore used. I

Having thus described my invention, it w1ll be evident that changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention asset forth in the claims, and I do not wish to be otherwise limited to. the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is-M v 3 1. Weft detecting mechanism comprising an actuatin lever, a member pivoted to said lever and aving a positive and regular movement, a yielding bearing for said lever about which said lever normally swings-idly when moved by said member, a rod slidable transversel of said lever at a point removed from said earing, detecting mechanism associated with said rod and normally holding nae said rod outof the path of said lever, said mechanism including fixed and movable detectors and being effective to move said rod farther from the path of said lever upon engagement of said detectors by a fullweft carrier but permitting said rod to move into the path of said lever on engagement of said detectors with a substantially exhausted weft carrier, said rod thereafter forming a new pivotal support for said lever'with resultant bodily movement of said yielding bearing, whereby a transfer is indicated.

2. Weft detecting mechanism having in combination an actuator, a member normally held out of the path of said actuator, aslide,

a detector fixed to said slide, a second detector pivoted to said slide, connections from said second detector to said member, and a fixed stop engaging said second detector at a point between its pivot and its point of contact with said connections and permitting slight rearward movement of said connections to operatively position said member as the slide is moved forward in engagement with a substantially exhausted weft carrier.

3. Weft detecting mechanism having, in

combination, an actuator, a member held normally out of the path of said actuator, a slide, a detector fixed to said slide, a second detector pivoted to said slide, a stop for said second detector, connections from said sec- 7 0nd detector to said member including a rod mounted for longitudinal movement 1n said slide, -said second detector forcing said rod forwardly when it engages weft on the ace tive weft carrier and permitting said rod to I carrier'when the fixed-detector engages a be moved momentarily toward the weft substantially exhausted weft carrier, thereby rendering said actuator operative.

4. Weft detecting mechanism comprising a stand, a slide, a detector fixed to said slide, a second detector pivoted to said slide, 1 an adjustable fixed stop for said second detector limiting rearward movement of said detectors, a rod slidably mounted in said slide and engaging said second detector, a'

spring to force said rod rearwardly, a stronger spring to force said slide rearwardly, an actuator, and connections from said rod whereby said actuator is rendered operative by movement of said rod from normal position toward theactive weft carrier upon substantial exhaustion of weft on the said weft carrier.

5. Weft detecting mechanism comprising a stand, a slide, a spring effective to move said slide to a predetermined normal position in said stand, a detector fixed to said slide, a second detectorpivoted to said slide, a rod slidably mounted in said slide and having one end abutting said pivoted detector, an armpivotally supported, a spring effective to press said arm against the other end of said rod, and a stop engaging said pivoted detector to limit rearward move ment thereof and to receive the thrust of said last named spring and holding said detector, said rod andsaid arm in operative engagement when said slide is in normal position.

6. Weft detecting mechanism comprising a stand, a slide, a spring effectiveto move said slide to a predetermined normal position in said stand, a detector fixed to said slide, a second detector pivoted to said slide,

actuator, and means to maintain operative relations between said pivoted detector j and said member, said means including a slidable stop enga'gingthe same portion of said i detector on the opposite side thereof.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ALEXANDRE COMPAGNON.

an actuator, a member controlling said 

